CHAPTER VII - FINALE

"Cut!" Asami called. Kyoko immediately withdrew and jumped out of Sho's arms before he could even blink. The singer was frozen-still feeling the brush of Kyoko's lips against his cheek, remembering the flutter of her eyelash and the familiar, sweet scent of her hair. His arms suddenly felt empty and cold. It was too quick. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Sho immediately blushed. He couldn't believe himself - so incredibly uncool, getting all wound up from such a tiny kiss. Honestly, barely a kiss. Trust Kyoko to jump away.

"Alright, that's a wrap!" Asami announced. The stage crew cheered and clapped, then immediately began to break down the set. The hush of filming was replaced with chatter. Sho turned around and almost ran into Shoko, who reminded him to say his thank yous to the director and crew. Then Asami had wanted to chat about post-production and the promotion schedule. Sho barely paid attention, searching the bustling room for Kyoko. The actress had slipped away into the hubbub after saying her thank yous. After what felt like hours (but was probably only twenty minutes), Shoko thanked the producer one last time and bowed, and finally Sho was free to go. He didn't bother taking off his costume, dashing towards the studio exit into the hallway where he arrived just in time to catch a flash of orange hair disappearing around the corner.

"Kyoko! WAIT!" Sho sprinted down the hall only to have to pull up abruptly to stop from crashing into the actress as she turned around. "Where are you going?" He said, confused.

"Home, dummy." Kyoko responded. "The shoot's over."

"Why didn't you wait for me?" Sho panted out, struggling to get his breath back.

"Why would I?" The actress was plainly baffled.

"Because- but, today we- you-" Sho didn't get why he had to explain. His childhood friend from Kyoto, the girl who had magically reappeared this afternoon-his Kyoko-would never dream of leaving without him.

"I what?" Kyoko waited for the musician to elaborate, playing with the shoulder strap of her bag. "I what, Fuwa-kun?"

"You were- I thought..." Less than half an hour ago, Sho had been certain that Kyoko liked him, but now he wasn't sure. He'd thought… that they were cool? That she had forgiven him? That things were going to go back to normal? He hesitated. Everything sounded so lame in his head. "I thought we were friends." He finally said quietly. The musician looked at his shoes, afraid of what he might see if he met Kyoko's eyes.

"We're not friends." Kyoko spoke slowly, as if explaining something to a very young child. "I'm an actress. I was acting. You know, the thing you hired me to do?" Kyoko rolled her eyes, without malice, but also without any trace of her earlier friendliness. She turned to leave, but Sho caught her wrist. When she looked back at him, she saw something like anguish on his face.

"Don't go."

"My job is over for the day, and I want to go home." She tried to pull her hand back.

"Kyoko, please, just stay-" Sho struggled as his throat clamped up. "For me- today, I realized, I- I want you t-" He looked at her, pleading. "Stay with me."

Any other girl would have blushed profusely at those words, and maybe even swooned into Sho's arms, if they were feeling bold. But Kyoko did neither. Had she understood him? The musician could read nothing behind her amber eyes. Kyoko was frozen, her face blank. A year ago, hearing those words from Sho would have made her happy beyond her wildest dreams. But it felt like a memory, more something she distantly remembered wanting than something that felt important to her now.

"Were we ever friends, really? Or did you just like how I bent over backwards to make your life easier?" There was no bitterness in the question, just honesty and the hint of a tremor in her voice. Kyoko looked up at him with a rueful smile.

Sho felt like he'd been punched in the gut. How could he even begin to explain to Kyoko how much she meant to him? How much she would always mean. Sho wanted to kick himself as the realization washed over him. My first real friend. My childhood playmate. The person who heard my first song, who was my first fan and my first audience. The person who supported me when I fought with my parents about music. The only person who always knows exactly what to say to cheer me up. Sho dropped her gaze, looking at their hands. He let go of her wrist and instead brought his other hand up, holder her hand with both of his.

"I don't want to call you just my friend." Sho brushed his thumb back and forth across her knuckles, trying to hide his nervousness. The words were tumbling around his head, threatening to spill out. He swallowed and clenched his jaw. Why was it so hard to be cool around this girl? Talking to her should be as simple as breathing. He'd known Kyoko for his whole life. But for the first time in his life, he was starting to understand exactly how much she meant to him. "More than friends, to me, you'll always be the person that I-"

"Mogami-san, there you are. Are you heading out?" Tsuruga-san asked, seeming to materialize out of thin air. It caught Sho so off-guard that he almost stumbled backwards. Kyoko was also visibly startled by the politely smiling actor's sudden appearance. She looked back at Sho, then back at Ren, uncertain of what to do. Kyoko looked down and realized Sho was still holding her hand. She blushed fiercely and hastily pulled her arm back.

"Good work today, Tsuruga-san." Kyoko bowed, her bag slipping a little off her shoulder. She straightened, then looked around the empty hallway. "Where's Yashiro-san?"

"He headed out, something about some paperwork at the office." Ren smiled as Kyoko's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"He left you alone. At this hour."

"You make it sound like I require supervision."

"Because you do!" Kyoko pointed an accusatory finger at the actor. "You were just going to go home without bothering to eat dinner, weren't you?!"

"It's rude to point at people and utter baseless accusations," Ren sniffed, pretending to be offended. Inwardly, he grinned. It was impossible to be annoyed at her when she looked so proud of herself. Especially when she was playing right into his hand. "I'll have you know I have every intention of eating dinner." He looked at her skeptical face. "A real dinner."

"I'll believe it when I see it." The teen muttered under her breath.

"Then you will." The actor turned and began walking down the hallway towards the parking lot. Kyoko blinked, her eyes processing before the rest of her. Ren had swooped up her back without her registering it. She squeaked in protest and trotted after him to catch up.

Ren proceeded to ignore Kyoko's impassioned arguing that she should carry both of their bags, since she was both his kohai and the junior in the industry. They were halfway down the hall before the actress remembered the musician and their unfinished conversation. He's right, we are more than just friends. We're rivals. She glanced back over her shoulder and saw Sho still standing in the hallway, a strange look on his face. Tentatively, Kyoko caught his eye and gave a little wave. She smiled. It seemed to shake the musician out of whatever reverie. He didn't smile, but after a pause Sho raised his hand and gave the barest wave in return.

"... Mogami-san?"

"Sorry, what?" Kyoko turned back around and realized they were already at the exit. Ren was holding the door for her. The dazzling smile on his face made her heart flutter.

"What would you like for dinner?"

A/N: at long last, this (my first!) fanfic is finally done. I hope you enjoyed! Thank you for reading.